Combination fireplace door and screen



March 21 1950 'r. R. HUGHES ET AL I COMBINATION FIREPLACE DOOR AND SCREEN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 18, 1946 In ve n Z 0125 Tionia .5,

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March 21, 1950 T. R. HUGHES ET AL COMBINATION FIREPLACE DOOR AND SCREEN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 Filed March 18, 1946 //AV///AV/////V///AV////,V///

Patented Mar. 21, '1950 UNITED STATES CQMUBINATION FIREPLACE DOOR AND SCREEN Thomas E. Hughes and Alvin M. .Casada, LosAngeles, Calif.

3 Claims.

.Our invention relates to combination fireplace doors and screens and more particularly to that type which can be, easily attached to or detached from. an open fireplace.

An object of our invention is to provide main folding doors in the front of the fireplace which can be easily closed or opened and which when closed house the screensand prevent the spread of fire. Another object is to provide main hollow doors which normally secrete collapsible screens, said screens being. extensible horizontally from the lateral. ends .of the doors across the open space entering. the fireplace when the doors assume open positionsoas to expose the fire in the fireplace. and simultaneously arrest sparks, cinders and glowing coals, whereby fire hazard is reduced to. a minimum. Another object isto prevent damaging effects of heat from the fire in .the fireplace upon the. main doors and the screens which arecQllapsed. into the doors when the latter are closed.

With these and other objects in view our invention comprisesthe features of construction and combination of parts. hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanyingdrawings forming part of this: specification, Fig. 1 is a. front elevation of an open fireplace showing .our improved combination ofopenfireplacedoors and, screens applied thereto,- the: former being shown in wide open position withithescreens extended across the space entering the fireplace; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is. a front elevation of a portion of the open fireplace when the screens J are collapsed into the doors and the latter are closed; Fig. 4 is a section taken on an enlarged scale of a detail taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. In the drawings A is an open fireplace of usual construction built into the wall Hi of a building structure-and having the usual forwardopening which may enter a room or other space in a building structure. Our combined fireplace doors and screens are supported in a rectangular main frame B which corresponds in shape with the upper end and sides of the marginal opening in the fireplace and which has an angle frame l2 held closely in said opening and a marginal face plate [3 of ornamental design placed against the forward face of the wall structure surrounding the fireplace opening. Two main rectangular doors C-C corresponding in size and shape with the opening in the main frame B are hinged at I4 on frame B to swing horizontally and tightly close the opening entering the fireplace. In this manner the-upright side members of the main frame 'B" constitutedoor j a'mbs l-5- H '5. The main doors" are hollow and are preferably constructed out of'thin sheet metal; the opposite sides l6lfi (Fig.4) being spacedapartto form-a chamber therein of sufiicient width and depth to freely receiveand-hold'apair-of screens D and E in each main'door C-as will be hereinafterdescribed.

The marginal edge around each-door C is entirely closed except along-thevertical marginal edge adjoining the adjacent door jamb [5 to which the door is-hingem that marginal edge being entirely open to form an entranceway and permit the companion set ofscreens to slide or telescope inwardly, orextend outwardly as indicated in Figs. -1 and-4.

Each membenor'eachof the screens D and E is composed of a're'ctangular sash l8, preferably made-outofanglemetal as shown to produce rigidity and strength. A spark arrester screen panel I9 is secured *i'n-eachsashentirely across the space therein, said panel being secured by welding or any-other suitable means. Each sash is of a size c1osely-corresponding with the inner dimensions of the main door but freely slidable horizontally therein. The sashes of the two screen door sections D and are hinged together at 20, to'swing'horizontally into extended position across the open space entering the fireplace when the main doors are-fully open as shown in Figs. land 2, or'to telescope together and collapse into the corresponding main door when it is desired to swing themain doors into the closed position shown in- Fig. 3. Each sash l8 has. its. inner edge angle member provided with an inner catch2'l' which is, adapted to engage a vertical stop 22 on one edge in the openend position .of .door .6 when the adjacent pair of screen sashes. D. .E '.are..f.ul1y..extended. The correspondingsashE of each pair is narrower than. the sashof screens..D..as shown in Fig. 4 so. .thatsash E,.when.;folded inwardly will clear the edge of the door and fold fiat upon the adjacent screen.

When the main doors are opened back away from the entrance into the fire chamber and the screens of both doors are fully extended as shown in Fig. 1, the parts assume a position in substantially a vertical plane across the front opening of the fireplace, the screens thus shielding the fire chamber and arresting any sparks etc. In this position fasteners 25 indicated in Fig. 1 may be employed to hold abutting edges of the outermost screens E--E releasably together. When the screens are telescoped into the main doors and the latter are closed into the position shown in Fig. 3 and the entrance into the fireplace is sealed, sparks, burning cinders, etc. from the fire are arrested. In this manner fire hazard is reduced to a minimum. When the main doors are closed and fire continues to burn in the fireplace the doors and screens therein are cooled by the circulation of air from in front of the fireplace upwardly through the lower ventilating ingress passages 23 and outwardly through the egress passages 24 in the doors into the fireplace. In this manner the doors and screens therein are reduced in temperature and protected from the effects of overheating. When the doors are closed the fireplace assumes a pleasing and ornamental appearance, the usual objectionable black and sooty appearance being obscured from view.

The doors CC and companion set of screens are combined together as a self-contained unit in readiness for instant operation and the stop 22 and cooperating catch 21 perform the function of a separable hinge coupling which permits the screen sections when folded together to telescope into the door out of the way or slide outwardly and unfold into fully extended operative position without becoming detached. The screen sections are maintained in erect position by the doors, their outermost end portions being assisted in being supported by the floor or surface of the building structure in front of the fireplace. It s further contemplated that the inner surfaces of the sides of the doors may be insulated by a surfacing of asbestos or other suitable insulating material (not shown) to protect the parts of the structure from heat radiated by the fireplace. The use of the doors as described obviates the use of a damper in the chimney and enables the use of a continuous opening through the throat of the fireplace through which ventilation is provided.

In the construction described above the screens are extensibly housed in and protected by the doors and are adapted to be employed directly across the mouth of the fireplace as shown in Fig. 2. The doors and screens are self -contained in the form of a permanent fixture unit, which imparts stability to the device. The doors and screens promote cleanliness and are ready for use instantly either in open or closed position. The parts of the device are fully protected from overheating so that the life of the device is increased. Fire hazard produced by the fireplace is reduced to a minimum. Also the fireplace is ornamental due to unsightliness being obscured from view, all of which tends to promote a useful function.

In accordance with the patent statutes we have described the principles of operation of our invention together with the construction thereof which we now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof but we desire to have it understood that the construction shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the spirit thereof and the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In an open fireplace having a front entranceway, a pair of doors normally corresponding with said entranceway, said doors being hinged at their inner edges to said fireplace entranceway and adapted to swing outwardly into wide open position adjacent to the surface of the fireplace and having chambers therein opening at their inner hinged edges, and closure panels slidably held in said chambers and extendable across said entranceway in the wide open position of said doors.

2. In an open fireplace having a front entranceway, a pair of doors normally corresponding with said entranceway, said doors being hinged at their inner vertical edges to said fireplace entranceway and adapted to swing outwardly into wide open position adjacent to the front wall of the fireplace and having chambers therein opening at the inner hinged edges of the doors, and a plurality of hinged closure panels slidably retained when folded in each of said chambers, said panels being extendable in folded position from the inner edges of the doors and unfoldable when extended across said entranceway in the wide open position of said doors.

3. In a built in open fireplace having a front entranceway, a pair of doors normally corresponding with said entranceway, said doors being hinged at their inner vertical edges to said fireplace entranceway and adapted to either close said entranceway or swing outwardly into wide open position substantially in the plane of the front wall of the fireplace, each of said doors having a chamber entering the inner vertical edge thereof, a pair of closure screen panels hinged to close together horizontally and slidable horizontally in closed position in each of said chambers, said pair of closure screens being extendable across said entranceway, and each of said doors and one of the members of its companion pair of panels having stop elements which engage when the panels are extended to prevent separation thereof from the companion door.

THOMAS R. HUGHES. ALVIN M. CASADA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 867,446 Thomas Oct. 1, 1907 1,564,281 Setchfield Dec. 8, 1925 2,294,046 Cser Aug. 25, 1942 

